Blossom
by Lilac Lenalee
Summary: Brambleclaw and Squirrelpaw spend a bit of time together during their adventure back from sun-drown-place, but is it all fun and games? Or is something deeper going on behind the witty remarks...


Brambleclaw treaded lightly so as not to disturb the midnight drowned violets sprinkled along the forest floor, their perfumed petals tickling his nose and caressing the protective pads of his paws. During the long journey from the safety of his home in the forest to the unknown destination of the sun drown place, Brambleclaw's pads had become tough as leather, after being scraped and ripped apart countless times from their dangerous trek. Every step they took was bathed in tentative abyss, sending Brambleclaw's mind into a constant swirl of dizzying thoughts that could only result in inevitable head throbbing and a buildup of stress.

But there was one remedy, at least for Brambleclaw, to this seemingly draining state of mind. It was so questionable the tabby warrior couldn't help but shy away from the very thought of it, his ears twitching in perplexed embarrassment and his whiskers convulsing in a sort of red hot shame. StarClan knew how such supernaturally baffling feelings could possibly end up sending ripples of sheer awkwardness and euphoric pleasure simultaneously through his blazing pelt at the sight of that one particular flame colored tabby apprentice: Squirrelpaw.

Every sense became frigidly numbed as a pair of needle sharp claws scoured right into Brambleclaw's muscular back. With a trembling hiss of shock Brambleclaw found himself pinned helplessly to the ground, the sweet smelling blades of grass now like little beds of claws as they poked at the fur framing his face. His blood ran cold for a few seconds, until a familiar scent excited his senses, and, despite the fact he was now powerlessly immobile, Brambleclaw let out a rusty purr tainted in pure amusement.

"Squirrelpaw," the tiger ticked tabby grunted, though he couldn't hide the fast growing ecstasy in his mew of rebuttal.

"Too busy sniffing the flowers to notice my scent, Brambleclaw?" Squirrelpaw gave a _mrrow _of delight, instantly taking the fighting edge away from her greeting. "Or were you _hoping_ I'd pin you down like a helpless little kit?"

With a flex of his powerful muscles Brambleclaw lifted the young apprentice from his back, and rapidly positioned himself so he had locked his paws securely over Squirrelpaw's petite shoulders. Her green eyes were like pools of molten liquid emerald, almost sending Brambleclaw into a hypnotized trance if it hadn't been for her relentless struggling knocking him gracelessly off balance.

With a clumsy thump Brambleclaw found himself face to face with the patch of violets once again.

"At this rate Brambleclaw, you're going to have to move into the elders den when we get back!" Squirrelpaw's voice was menacingly sweet, something Brambleclaw figured came naturally to the she-cat as her mew clung to his mind like a sticky bead of honey. Under normal circumstances it was this masked tone that usually rubbed his fur the wrong way, leading to constant feuding spats between the two that were more than eye roll worthy. But these days, Brambleclaw had to admit that Squirrelpaw's overly witty tongue and statically charged sense of humor were starting to wear on him. At first he figured this was entirely due to his homesickness, seeing as she was also a member of ThunderClan and a spitting female image of her father, who was the current heroic leader of the clan. But once he started to catch himself unexplainably being drawn to look at the way her fiery sleek coat caught the sun at just the right angle, he knew that wasn't exactly the case. Could this little devil of a feline, with a tongue as sharp as an adder's fang, really be wrapping Brambleclaw around her cute little paw?

As if answering his seemingly unanswerable thoughts Squirrelpaw flicked her bushy tail across his ears, making them twitch in a bashful wave of prickly heat. In a flustered attempt to regain his dignity Brambleclaw jumped to his paws, trying to act as commanding as he could despite his whisker crawling stumbles just mere moments ago. He wasn't about to give in to Squirrelpaw that easily.

As if reading his mind Squirrelpaw began brushing her silky soft pelt around his flank, eyeing him flittingly from glittering green orbs. "What's the matter Brambleclaw? Cat got your tongue?"

Her melodic purr drummed the mischievous air like a puddle forcefully being spattered with rain. Just as her whiskers combed along the young warrior's neck fur, Brambleclaw playfully aimed a swat at her furry head, and with a stunned mewl of glee Squirrelpaw was transformed into a tangled ball of ginger fur rolling lightly down the flower-seasoned hillside.

Brambleclaw's pelt flared up in alarm. He hadn't meant to use so much force. But his fur hastily drew flat in a cool wash of relief as Squirrelpaw shakily hobbled to her paws. She let out a ticklish sneeze, sending a gust of miniature flower petals dancing teasingly around her head like a halo. With one powerful bound Brambleclaw padded up to the temporarily dazed she-cat's side.

Brambleclaw let out a rumbling purr of amusement, the twinkle in his amber eyes like sap reflecting the first rays of sunrise. "Hasn't your mentor taught you anything about listening to your instincts?"

Every hair on the tiger tabby's spine jumped in pleasurable shock as he felt Squirrelpaw's tail intertwine with his, her sweet scent conquering all other flowery whiffs in one dominating swirl. With tails twined like ivy, heads resting against one another in gentle apprehensive bliss and whiskers striking together like harp chords, the two young ThunderClan cats gazed out endlessly across a shallow river. It sewed its way through the flowery blanket like a threaded needle, its liquid surface meshing brilliantly in the waning light to create a kaleidoscope of twilight infused patterns. Squirrelpaw's deep soothing purr kneaded rhythmically along the tips of Brambleclaw's fur, warming his body from head to claw.

"Mouse brain." Squirrelpaw's purr only rumbled louder, like an approaching storm deep within her pelt of ginger fire. "I _am_ following my instincts."

At that moment Brambleclaw felt as if every star in StarClan was reflecting right off his pelt, sending sheets of starry warmth throbbing through every vein. Squirrelpaw must've felt the same way, because her pelt was tingling like dead leaves in the autumn wind. Brambleclaw pushed his body closer to hers, in an effort to reassure them both. He felt like a young kit again, both scared to the bone and curious beyond belief as to what surprises this little spitfire of a cat would have in store for him on their life's journey. Brambleclaw didn't need a medicine cat to prophesize their destined future paths.

"Hey . . . Squirrelpaw?" Brambleclaw pushed his nose deep into her pelt, her intoxicatingly sweet scent making him flutter in a subconscious pool that sapped away all his strength. "I . . . . . I think we should go check on the others. It's getting late."

As if in direct response the sliver of the thin crescent moon slashed sharply through the sky as it became engulfed in a wave of deep midnight blue. The first faint twinkles of StarClan were glinting like dazzling drops of morning dew, and an orchestra of crickets had begun composing a nighttime lullaby as the forest sheltering the cats prepared to be bathed in night's dark sigh.

Squirrelpaw gave Brambleclaw an affectionate head nudge, nearly sending him on a pitiful trip into the frothy reed laced edge of the river. Startled unexpectedly out of his thoughts, the tabby let out a shocked hiss as his paw narrowly disrupted the surface of the river water. "Hey!"

The ginger coated apprentice shot a mutinous look towards Brambleclaw, who was awkwardly trying to get his paws working in a coordinated fashion once again as he fumbled among the shadowy reeds. "Stupid furball!"

"Hey, that was supposed to be an order!" but Brambleclaw had no idea whether she had heard him or not, because Squirrelpaw had already begun to stalk back up the hill, muzzle held snootily high and tail curled magnetically towards StarClan as she abruptly chose to ignore his every demand.

_Boy is she something else._


End file.
